With the presidential inauguration, comes a new episode of Legal Defense! Kirk and John discuss President Obama’s commutation of Chelsea Manning’s sentence for leaking classified documents, the legal parameters of the military chain-of-command, the pardon of James Cartwright, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who pled guilty to lying to FBI agents investigating classified leaks, the legal checks and balances over US intelligence agencies, the future of “consent decrees” that the federal government uses to reform local police departments.

Don’t forget to tune in next week for another episode of Legal Defense! You can find all episodes, old and new, right here on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog.

With the New Year, comes a new episode of Legal Defense! Kirk and John discuss a recent court of appeals ruling where a defendant wanted a different lawyer and the court forced him to continue to trial without counsel, and the problems with Ignition Interlock Devices being ordered in OWI cases.

Don’t forget to tune in next week for another episode of Legal Defense! You can find all episodes, old and new, right here on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog.

With the New Year, comes a new episode of Legal Defense! Kirk and John discuss the presumption of innocence, a request by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin to obtain training videos created by now Attorney General Brad Schimel while he was district attorney of Waukesha County, the movement to provide more due process for accusations of sexual assault on campus, and a new appeals court decision that forced a pro se defendant to go to trial seemingly against his will.

Don’t forget to tune in next week for another episode of Legal Defense! You can find all episodes, old and new, right here on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog.

With Kirk out of town this week, John does the show solo. He jumps into a discussion of the electoral college – what it is, how it works, and why, despite the presidential election having taken place on November 8th, the college will not be voting until Monday, December 19th. Explaining its inception under Article 2 of the Constitution, John tackles why the founding fathers implemented a system of indirect election of presidents, and what burden this system places on the college’s members.

In a later segment, John switches gears and addresses the persistent debate over the interpretation of crime statistics around the country, and how local contextualization can muddy one’s perception of changes in the crime rate.

Don’t forget to tune in next week for another episode of Legal Defense! You can find all episodes, old and new, right here on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog.

It’s another episode of Legal Defense with attorneys John Birdsall and Kirk Obear on 101.5 FM WHBL Sheboygan! They kick off the show by discussing President Obama’s string of clemency actions, which have largely been directed at nonviolent drug offenders, and what challenges those released still face as convicted felons. Later in the show, they discuss the importance of client advocacy, especially in the face of often heavy pressure by judges and district attorneys to accept plea offers. They also take on the proliferation of fake news, and how it has real world impact, such as the December 4th, shooting at a DC restaurant.

Don’t forget to tune in next week for another episode of Legal Defense! You can find all episodes, old and new, right here on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog.

Listen to the newest episode of Legal Defense with attorneys John Birdsall and Kirk Obear on 101.5 FM WHBL Sheboygan! With John in New York for Thanksgiving, Kirk does the show solo. He covers the recent District Court ruling that rejected hyper-partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin, and discusses what repercussions this could have for gerrymandering tactics around the country. Though the ruling will most likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, it has opened the door for further legal action that could limit legislative redistricting nationwide. In the second segment, Kirk dives into the legal history of marijuana in the United States, and ties it to the current decriminalization and legalization wave sweeping the country. Lastly, he takes a look at Jury Instructions, and how they can succeed or fail to convey the concepts of ‘reasonable doubt’ and ‘burden of proof’ to a jury. Don’t forget to tune in next week, as John rejoins Kirk on the podcast!

You can find an all new episode of Legal Defense right here on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog.

Listen to the newest episode of Legal Defense with attorneys John Birdsall and Kirk Obear on 101.5 FM WHBL Sheboygan! They give some updates on the ongoing Waukesha “Slender Man” case, including the recent motion filed by the defense that questions the validity of confessions made by the two suspects while in custody.

Every week, you can find an all new episode of Legal Defense right here on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog.

Listen to the newest episode of Legal Defense with attorneys John Birdsall and Kirk Obear on 101.5 FM WHBL Sheboygan! John and Kirk continue their previous week’s discussion regarding the impact of this election cycle on the future of politics and political discourse in the United States. They focus in particular on the nuances of the separation of power in U.S. government, and what challenges the next president will face with regard to policy making, if their party does not control Congress. In the second segment, Kirk explains the importance of registering and voting on November 8th, and how one should approach voting for candidates at various levels of government. Later in the show, John and Kirk debate the ongoing legislative battle to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court, and what likelihood exists that the ninth seat will be filled after the election, given partisan gridlock. Every week, you can find an all new episode of Legal Defense right here on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog.

It’s Legal Defense with attorneys John Birdsall and Kirk Obear on 101.5 FM WHBL Sheboygan! With the election only a few weeks away, John and Kirk discuss the major party candidates, and dig into the history of the electoral process in the United States. In the second segment, they discuss how sexual assault cases are carried out by prosecutors, and what changes this system could benefit from. Later in the show, John looks into the situation of Duane Buck, who is currently on death row in Texas, but petitioning the court to reevaluate his sentence on Sixth Amendment grounds. Buck claims that his state-appointed attorney acted inappropriately after he brought in an expert at his client’s sentencing hearing who claimed that Buck was more likely to commit violent crimes because he was African American. Tune in next week for an all new episode, and don’t forget that all previous episodes of Legal Defense are available for free on our website: www.birdsall-law.com/legal-blog